Teachers and their Students
by Cat and Fiddle
Summary: [oneshots, Teacher!Student pairings] Of teachers, their students, and the lines that should not be blurred, erased, or crossed, but sometimes... are. [Yaoi, Yuri, possible het, threesomes, and foursomes may ensue]
1. Sexually Interested : AsuShika

**Teachers and their Students**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes:** So, I don't remember how it happened, but I stumbled across the idea of Asuma x Shikamaru one day and... it grew on me. I finally went to check out the fiction for the pairings and yes, there are good ones, but I was a little disappointed by the fact that most of them (if not all) were sort of... rape... ish.

I just... have slight issues with that. Nothing against the fics themselves, but rape... there are only some situations in which I don't mind it in a fic. The fics were probably good, I just... had trouble... reading through them.

And... I was struck by the intense need to write one of my own, where it wasn't non-con or started out with non-con or something of the sort.

Thus, this was produced.

//cough// It has nothing to do with my ever-so-slight-but-present-none-the-less-fetish with teacher x student relationships.

Well, not _this_ fic, at least. I'm planning on doing a series //points to the title// on it, and this is just the start. Maybe there will be more Asuma x Shikamaru, maybe there won't (probably there will, I'm liking this one enough to do a sequel... or two). Yaoi, Yuri, and, highly unlikely, but possibly het and threesomes will ensue. Heck, maybe I'll even do one where the whole team gets together as one big couple.

Anyhow, this is my first foray into the Asuma x Shikamaru pairing, and I've never actually seen much of Asuma's personality, so I hope I did him okay. As always, hope you like!

**Summary:** Ino complains about Shikamaru's lack of sexual interest, Shikamaru complains to Asuma, and some lines that should not be blurred, erased, or crossed... are.

**Warnings:** Yaoi! Possible angst, but who cares about that? Note: Shikamaru is seventeen, making Asuma thirty-two. Jesus.

* * *

_Sexually Interested_

-

"I still say you're strange," Ino stated, "I mean, you don't like girls, _not at all_?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "Like I've said, they're too troublesome and _nagging_."

Ino ignored the hint. Chouji munched another chip.

"Not even _sexually_?" she persisted. Shikamaru scoffed to hide his surprise and slightly flushed cheeks. Chouji's chip-eating halted after a few more moments of Shikamaru spluttering on his words.

"Shikamaru?" he mumbled quizzically. Shikamaru cleared his throat for the umpteenth time.

"What the hell, Ino?" he finally managed, an eyebrow ticking, "That's not a question you just ask a guy!"

She pouted. "Why not?" she asked, "I've known you since we were in diapers. I thought we were past the whole barriers thing! I talk to you guys about boys all the time, but I never hear a single word from you, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru ground his teeth. "Incase you didn't notice," he drawled, "We don't exactly revel in your rants about Sasuke."

She rolled her eyes. "But at least I try! Really, Shika-kun, I was being serious! You aren't even _sexually interested_ in women?"

"No!" Shikamaru exclaimed, beet red, then leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Happy?"

Both she and Chouji were shocked into silence. Shikamaru made a tch sound and glared out the window of his bedroom. Why or how _his_ room had become their unofficial meeting place, he didn't know. But it was troublesome, and, after the first time Ino screamed at the sight of his boxers on the floor, more than enough incentive to clean it once in a while.

"What about guys?" Ino whispered, her expression of shock morphing into one of wide-eyed curiosity. Chouji began ravenously chowing down on his chips.

"That's not your business," Shikamaru spat, getting up. "I'm going to go ask mum for some tea. Is there anything else I can ask her for that'll get you to shut up?"

Ino glared and Chouji requested food in general. Shikamaru slunk downstairs.

"Hey, mum," he called, slipping into his chuunin vest that had been left precariously thrown over the back of a chair, "Ino and Chouji want tea and food. Could you bring it up?"

"Why can't you bring it up yourself, you lazy son!" Yoshino retorted from the kitchen, "For the First's sake, they're _your_ friends!"

She did, however, set the kettle on the stove to boil and open the pantry.

Shikamaru sighed and grabbed his set of keys. "Thanks, mum," he tossed over his shoulder, exiting the house. He breathed deeply, pocketing his hands as he strode down the street at a brisk pace, knowing his window faced away from where he was traveling.

With all luck, it would take Ino and Chouji a good five or ten minutes before they figured out he'd abandoned them and their annoying antics.

_Sexually interested_... tch. Shikamaru had better things to occupy his mind with, like missions or Shogi.

At the thought of Shogi, he adjusted his course to take him to Asuma's, reaching his destination in due time. He was mostly sure (somewhere between 80 and 95) that they would check Asuma's place third. First, they would check his cloud-gazing spot on the hill at the edge of the Nara pastures. Second, they would check his other favorite cloud-gazing spot on the roof.

Some Shogi and tea with Asuma would give him plenty of time to prepare himself to logically combat the absurd possibility that he was even _sexually interested_ at all, let alone in men.

It was growing hotter outside, even as the sun was beginning to set. Shikamaru wiped his brow before kicking off his shoes and walking onto the back porch of Asuma's home. The sliding doors were not locked, as always, and were noisy when he opened one.

"Oi," he greeted, forcing his feet into a pair of slippers by the entrance that Asuma had specifically bought for him. Having been bought when he was twelve- a gift for reaching gennin- his feet had long since outgrown them, but he never mentioned it, so Asuma never bought new ones. These ones had sentimental value; and besides, Shikamaru didn't want to get rid of such comfy shoes.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Asuma answered, emerging from his room. Shikamaru glanced up, thoughts about counter-arguments to _sexually interested_ swirling around his head, saw Asuma, still in the process of pulling on a shirt, and blushed rather deeply. He shook his head and wiped his brow again.

"What're you doing here?" Asuma asked, "Shogi?"

Shikamaru nodded. "And some tea, if you have any sugar."

Asuma chuckled, but nodded and strolled into the kitchen while Shikamaru drug their Shogi board out of a cupboard and set it up on the low table in the main room. He was twirling a bishop absently, focusing on not knocking over the pieces around it, when Asuma returned with the tray of tea and sugar. There were two containers of leaves, and Shikamaru took from the one with green leaves while Asuma helped himself to the bitter jasmine. He watched bemusedly as Shikamaru measured out exactly four and a half teaspoons of sugar, dumping them into his cup without flourish.

Today, the board was set up for Asuma to play first. He frowned down at his pieces for a while. Shikamaru only wanted Asuma to go first when he was upset and/or brooding. "What's up?" he asked as he advanced the first piece. Shikamaru slurped from his cup, setting it aside with an exaggerated sigh.

"Trouble with Ino and Chouji," he muttered, making his move. Shikamaru didn't like to think about the game until a good ways in, so that he found himself in a new situation each time.

"Oh?" Asuma raised his eyebrows, contemplating Shikamaru's move before making what he felt was a good preemptive countermove.

"Yeah," Shikamaru nodded, ignoring the handle on the mug of tea as he held it around the middle, grasped firmly with his right hand, and took another loud sip from it while making his move, "Pestering me because I'm not sexually interested in women."

"Oh?" Asuma said with a bit more nuance. Shikamaru sighed again, resting his cheek on his hand as he waited.

"Um-hm," he mumbled around the edge of his cup, scowling when he found the liquid near the dregs wasn't as sweet as he liked. Asuma watched him dump in two more spoons of sugar.

"Ino even suggested that I might be _sexually interested_ in men," he scoffed, "Troublesome. What an absurd idea."

Asuma laughed, finally deciding on his next move and executing it.

"Is it now?" he asked jokingly. Shikamaru wrinkled his nose.

"Of course it is!" he snarled, slamming his rook halfway down the board viciously. "I've never even thought about it before."

Asuma gave another gruff bark of laughter, easily capturing Shikamaru carelessly placed rook.

"Really?" he suggested, "Sorry, Shikamaru, but I've got to side with Ino on that one. You sure make it sound like you are."

"What?" Shikamaru gaped, and Asuma shook his head, amused by the fact that his genius student with a 200+ IQ hadn't already happened across that possibility.

"Well, when you say you don't like women," he explained, nudging Shikamaru with his foot under the table to incite the lazy nin to take his turn at the Shogi game, "It seems like what you're trying to say is 'I'm interested in men, leave me alone!'"

Shikamaru gaped for a moment longer, then snapped his mouth shut, shook his head, scratched just above his ponytail, and finally made a move after some deliberation. He poured himself some more tea while Asuma sat back to consider his next move. They were approaching the middle of their game, he knew, when Shikamaru began thinking.

"So," he continued lightly, finishing his turn just as Shikamaru finished his last, half-of-a-teaspoon dump and turned back to him, "Are you... ah, _sexually interested_ in men?"

Shikamaru frowned down into his tea, watching the sugar granules melt into the hot liquid.

"Like I said," he mumbled, "I wouldn't know. Anyways, I don't think _sexually interested_ is something one can just figure out from thinking."

Asuma shrugged. "Never know. A lot of people can get off just by imagining someone-"

"Asuma!" Shikamaru gasped, "Don't tell me stuff like that!"

Asuma laughed again. "And who's the genius?"

Shikamaru muttered and countered Asuma's most recent move.

"Anyways," Asuma added softly, "If it's something you don't you could figure out just by thinking about it, why not just give it a test run?"

Shikamaru scowled, glaring at the game as if it were his desire to cause the pieces to combust.

"That would be awkward," he concluded, speaking slowly as he mulled it over, "I couldn't just go up to some random guy and kiss him. Hell, if I made a mistake and kissed Neji he'd have me flat on my back in the infirmary for weeks, he'd be so pissed off. Besides, if I were... _sexually interested_ in males... I don't think I'd want all of Konoha to know."

"Then how about someone you trust?" Asuma proposed, and Shikamaru frowned.

"Well, that wouldn't be too many people," he thought aloud, slurping at his tea. "Ino's a girl- hey, don't give me that look! I know I complain, and yes, she really is as obnoxious as I say, but I still trust her. There's also Chouji, but he's my best friend. I don't want to cross lines like that. And you, but you're my teacher- wait, that's right, _you're_ my teacher..."

Asuma glanced up from the game, unsure of where Shikamaru was headed with that train of thought. Shikamaru's mouth formed a pinched line, bringing his hands into a box. Asuma recognized it immediately and leaned back to wait.

Five minutes later, Shikamaru eyes opened, studying Asuma's face intensely. "Shikamaru?" Asuma asked, but the shadow nin didn't answer, and his fingers remained tightly pressed into a box.

Asuma sighed and resigned himself to waiting some more, watching instead the figure formed by his student's hands. He had tried to contort his hands into that simple little box once, but it was so difficult to do, and his hands had hurt much afterwards. After that, he found himself easily entertained by watching Shikamaru's hands in that painful little box, admiring the dexterity and flexibility of the joints and the way the tips of his fingers met _just so_ to make the perfect shape.

Finally, Shikamaru spoke.

"Asuma, you're my teacher," he stated again, and Asuma nodded, "So teach me."

"Teach you what?" Asuma asked, even though vague notions were already forming in his mind. He briefly wondered exactly what he had gotten himself into as Shikamaru got up and rounded the table, settling on his knees at his sensei's side, regarding him.

"_Sexually interested_," he murmured, reaching out and grasping the collar of Asuma's shirt, but not pulling or yanking or in any other way forcing Asuma to come closer. No, he only maintained eye-contact. Asuma blinked a few times, uncomfortable with the eye-lock.

"W-well," he stammered, "If it will help."

Shikamaru seemed to smile a bit, and swayed forward, but just barely, and Asuma recognized that he would have to clear the distance.

He did it a bit hesitantly, because for one, Shikamaru was his student. For two, Shikamaru was so much younger than him, but again, Shikamaru was his student who needed his assistance and guidance. For three, he knew that he, Asuma, swung both ways, enjoying his fair share of bad alcohol, men, and women.

And that, ruled out number one, which ruled out number two, and so they were all irrelevant, and he forget them all as his lips brushed against Shikamaru's.

They both gasped faintly, Shikamaru's hand that was curled tightly into the folds of his shirt beginning to tremble. Asuma pushed more pressure into the kiss, sliding his lips against Shikamaru's and shifting closer, until their legs touched and his hand slipped around to cup the back of Shikamaru's neck- he swore, he didn't intend to, it just... happened- and Shikamaru's free hand reached up, twisting in his coarse hair.

He leaned more into Shikamaru, licking the teen's lower lip as prudently as such a sexual act could possibly be performed, and Shikamaru gasped very audibly this time, buckling under the mounting pressure from Asuma leaning into him, bodies pressing together. Somehow, they ended up sprawled on the floor, Asuma's one hand tangled in Shikamaru's mess of a ponytail, the other resting somewhere between his student's waist and hip. He was about to pull away, realizing again that this _was_ his student, but Shikamaru's mouth opened, the slightest of whimpers escaping him, and Asuma couldn't break this. Not this, no; he slipped his tongue into his students mouth- his _student's_ mouth!- and explored tentatively, expecting any moment for Shikamaru to pull away and spit, to gulp down tea, then complain about how gross and disgusting this all was-

One of Shikamaru's hands that had been doing god-knows-what that had felt so good shifted and gave a gentle but insistent nudge on Asuma's shoulder- whether or not Shikamaru was aware that he was pressing right over Asuma's heart, Asuma didn't know- so Asuma let up, finally rending the kiss.

They both gasped for air- Shikamaru more than Asuma, because it was only his second kiss, and his first ever with tongue or hands or groping or floor or god, just so much feeling that felt _good_, because he didn't know how to breathe properly.

"Sorry," the younger mumbled, running a hand through his loose hair, the other still covering Asuma's heart, "Needed air."

Asuma nodded and shifted to remove himself from on top of his student. His shin brushed against Shikamaru's crotch with the movement and his eyes widened, glancing down at Shikamaru's tented pants, then back up to the flushed face of his student.

"Sorry," he repeated, "Guess I'm more sexually _frustrated_ and sexually _interested_ than I thought."

Then Asuma laughed, making it okay for Shikamaru to smile.

And somehow they wound up in another lip-lock, and it was okay, even if Asuma was Shikamaru's teacher and Shikamaru was Asuma's student; even if Shikamaru was a year under legal adulthood, meaning any relationship they shared was a year away from legal; because...

It just felt so damn right.

-

-

-

"I told you we should have checked Asuma-sensei's place first!" Ino seethed as they approached the front of Asuma's home. Chouji shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry Ino," he whined, "But it just made sense to check the other places first. I mean, after that I thought Shikamaru would want to cool his head, you know, watch the clouds to relax."

Ino shrugged it off, "Whatever."

As they approached, the pair noticed that strange... sounds... were emanating from the abode. Ino raised a finger to his lips, unnecessarily shushing Chouji, who swallowed his last chip and placed no more in his mouth.

"Guess Shika-kun's not here," she whispered.

"Then we should go check the next place," Chouji reasoned, thinking back to the Academy where Shikamaru sometimes liked to vent to Iruka, who sometimes had advice even Shikamaru couldn't think of.

"Wait!" Ino hissed, "I want to know who Asuma-sensei's with!"

Chouji rolled his eyes, but followed her as she crept around the side of the house. Crouching beneath a window, they continued to listen. The sounds grew louder, moans and groans and skin on skin. Ino felt her cheeks heating up as she came to the realization-

"He's with a guy!" they both whispered at once, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Too shocked to grin or call the jinx, they scrambled to peer in through the cracks in the blinds.

What they saw inside was Asuma, lip-locked, hovering over, thrusting into, and giving a hand job to the one and only Nara Shikamaru. As if on cue, as their jaws hit the floor, Shikamaru- sweating and flushed and so very near tears, as they had never seen him before- broke away from the kiss, arching his back as he came with a shout. By all indications on the sheets and other places neither Ino nor Chouji would ever admit that they had looked, it was not for the first time that evening-almost-night. They ducked again, too shocked to react as they heard Asuma following Shikamaru with a moan.

"W-well," Ino stammered, stunned, "I guess that answers my question."

Chouji whipped out his bag of chips, stuffing his face as quietly as he could.

"So that's why Shikamaru never called him Asuma-sensei."

* * *

Just to clear up any confusion... the last one talking is Chouji. Ino always calls him "Shika-kun".

How'd I do for my first try in this shipping?

Yarr, matey's! Flames will be used to light the cannons, pointed directly at you, point blank.


	2. The Snake : HiaNeji

**Teachers and their Students**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes:** Um... yeah. I think this may be going waaay to far with wrong pairings. I mean, I don't support Hyuugacest, though I can see how it is justified that Hinata and Neji could possibly get married to continue the bloodline and stuff, but... this kind of Hyuugacest is just... ugh. He's not even Neji's teacher, but I made him his teacher just so it would fit the requirements!

Anyways, yeah. I'm really worried that this is taking it too far and crossing too many of those invisible moral lines. Teacher x Student, Incest, yaoi, what could be worse? Oh well. As far as I know, actually, there are only two other fics with this pairing. One has so many flame-reviews that I couldn't convince myself to read it and the other looks good, but is in Portuguese. Good luck reading that one.

I guess I should warn you of the pairing... it's Hiashi x Neji, with past Hiashi x Hizashi (great, not only Hyuugacest, but Twincest... why do those things even have terms, damnit!?). So yeah. It's pretty screwed up, so feel free to not read and flame away.

It's not a fluffy fic.

This has not been proofread by either myself or my BETA, so there may be many grammatical errors, typos, and things that don't make sense. If you catch any, I would deeply appreciate it if you would bring them to my attention.

**Summary:**

_"Sometimes I wonder about the things I do..._

When Hyuuga Neji makes ANBU and Hiashi offers to teach him a new technique, he finds out things that maybe he didn't want to know.

_...Especially... on __those__ mornings."_

**Warnings:** As mentioned above, Hyuugacest, yaoi, possible OOCness, which I apologize for... you might end up mentally scarred from this?

* * *

_The Snake_

-

Sometimes I wonder about the things I do. Like how I tend to turn a cold shoulder towards people, even my teammates since gennin-hood. Or how I regret that time at the chuunin exams when I fought Hinata-sama so brutally in every way I knew how- mentally as well as physically- but still cannot bring myself to give her a direct apology. Even after these eight long years, the most I can do in atonement is be kind to her, offering a small smile and a gentle hand on her shoulder when possible. I like to _think _she gets it.

I especially wonder about the things that I do on _those _mornings, the ones where I wake up next to _him_. Where I sit up and stare out the window as I rub the still foreign tattoo on my upper arm.

-

I was very excited, the day I made ANBU. I came home, my new garb folded neatly in my arms, snake mask resting on top. Technically, I wasn't supposed to let on that I was in ANBU, let alone which zodiac I was, since that would be a liability. That was a strength of ANBU's- few knew who was in the organization, much less which mask they were. Adversaries would find it difficult to know what to expect from each mask, much less how to prepare to fight them.

But I didn't care about secrecy at the moment. It was one in the morning by the time they'd finished debriefing me, and I wanted to walk into the Hyuuga complex with my head high- even if almost everyone would be asleep.

Hiashi-sama and Hinata-sama were waiting for me at the dining table, nursing cups of steaming tea. I laid my affects on the table, rubbing my arm self-consciously; the tattoo would not come until after my first successful ANBU mission, sadly. Both relatives scrutinized the mask, Hiashi pensively, Hinata admiringly. I felt my pride swell again.

"They tell me no-one has been snake in sixteen years, when the last one died," I told them, picking up the ceramic piece to hold to my face. "The slitted eyes make it too hard for most people to see, but since I have the byakugan, it won't make a difference in combat."

"Th-that's impressive, Neji-niisan!" Hinata murmured through a smile. I let a small portion of my joy seep into my face in the form of a smile, for her sake, before steeling it again when Hiashi cleared his throat. I put down my mask.

"How long before your first mission with ANBU?" he asked. "A month?"

"A week," I answered smugly. The usual grace period was a month, but mine would only last seven days because an upcoming mission called for my specific talents, and they thought I could handle it. "They're sending Rat with me- it's close to the end of his instatement month, as well- just incase it's too much for one rookie. I doubt that will be the case, but it is always good to take precautions."

"Yes, we wouldn't want you dieing on your first outing with ANBU," Hiashi said gravely. I held my tongue in check. For him to act as though my making ANBU spoke nothing of my skills- for him to go so far as to degrade the organization itself by calling one of its missions a mere outing!-

It was infuriating, at best.

"Well," he sighed, standing. "I will teach you a new technique. One that is not even taught to all Main Branch members-" he glanced at Hinata-sama, a dark look in his eyes, and she bowed her head shamefully, "-Just as a... _precaution_." Then he stashed his hands away in the sleeves of his robe, as was his habit, and strode away, as though he had not just condescended to both Hinata-sama and I.

And that was how Hyuuga Hiashi became my mentor.

-

ANBU left it up to my discretion who I would tell. I chose to relay the news to my cell, Shikamaru, and Naruto. The only person who I told which mask I possessed was Lee. Two days passed in which I held off my friends who wanted to take me out to celebrate. Surely Hiashi-sama would begin teaching me soon, I thought, what with my mission looming only five days away. But by the second night, when naruto appeared at my door, grinning and bouncing on the balls of his feet, I had to go with him.

Hinata-sama needed a valid excuse to attend.

Thus, I stumbled home, Hinata-sama _not _in tow, to a very grumpy Hiashi-sama. He glared down at me as I hiccupped and tried not to sway too much on my feet. I was not a frequent drinker, and though I handled my alcohol better than Lee, it was not by much.

"Hiash-... i-sama..." I managed to slur out between hiccups. The crease in his brow deepened, and even in my drunken stupor, I could tell he was extremely displeased with my conduct, needless to say what he thought of the fact that we both knew I had wholeheartedly allowed Hinata to traipse off with Naruto. The vibes bouncing around were enough to steady my swaying as a thin sheen of sweat broke out on my forehead.

"Tomorrow morning," he stated gruffly, "We will begin your training. You will cancel any prior commitments."

That sobered me the rest of the way. He saw and left. It appeared I would not be fetching Hinata from Naruto's the next morning.

-

So I began my training early the next morning with an extremely debilitating hangover, cursing Naruto with every strike and cursing alcohol with every block, as Hiashi-sama and I opened the lesson with a sparring match. We would have been well-matched, if not for my headache and the fact that Hiashi-sama refused to admit I was practically incapacitated by it and give me the handicap I needed, if not deserved. Still, I held my own well enough, just barely well enough, but well enough, indeed, until close to noon.

Then, Hiashi-sama did something that I couldn't comprehend, he did it so fast I didn't catch it even with my Byakugan, and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with what could have been a mild concussion to keep my hangover company. All of the tenketsu on the outside of my left arm had been hit.

Hiashi-sama's silhouette eclipsed the sun.

"It is not so much a new technique as an improvement upon an old one," he explained. Hinata-sama passed by, keeping her chin tucked and eyes shaded. I glanced back from her to Hiashi-sama, hovering over me, and rolled onto my hands and knees, willing my churning stomach not to empty itself and my aching head not to split.

I silently cursed Naruto and alcohol one last time.

"What kind of improvement?" I asked at long last, forcing myself to stand. Compassionately, Hiashi went over to the elevated walkway and sat, inviting me to sit as well by doing so. I sat gratefully, not daring the sigh that wanted to escape.

"An improvement on the Hyuuga fighting style," he answered.

"Oh?" I said when I sensed he was waiting for a response on my part. He nodded gravely.

"You know the kaiten," he said, "How it works?"

"Yes," I answered. "By releasing chakra from the entire body while simultaneously spinning one can deflect weapons and even inflict damage. Why are we discussing this? It's a simple technique."

"I wanted you to say it yourself, that chakra can be released from everywhere on our bodies. Now, consider our fighting style. Normally, chakra is released from either the palm or the fingertips. One can only close off so many points at once in that manner, but imagine if chakra was released from other areas to hit tenketsu."

My eyes widened at the possibilities that were beginning to open up.

"Take for example what I just did to you. By lining my arm up with yours, I was able to release chakra from it to hit your tenketsu. This technique requires extreme chakra control, more so than Hinata's personal technique, because the easiest places to focus chakra are the hands and feet. Focusing chakra in specific points, not even visible to the eye, in odd places such as one's arm or back or leg, is very difficult. Not only that, but you must be able to align those tiny points with the specific points on the target at the same time you release the chakra in order for it to be effective."

He regarded me as I attempt to absorb it all. I rubbed my numb left arm. The idea of being able to hit so many tenketsu at once like that was amazing. I suddenly wanted to be able to do it so badly that my migraine receded and chakra forced its way past the closed tenketsu once again.

"Teach me," I said with a newfound fervor.

-

For hours, Hiashi-sama had me perform kaiten, while paying attention to how it felt to release chakra from areas other than my hands or feet. It was very frustrating to have to do such a technique over and over to the point of exhaustion and then some. It was late in the evening by the time Hiashi barked, "Stop!" and I all but collapsed. He invited me to dinner, but I declined, opting to retire to my room.

I barely made it to the bed before sleep claimed me.

A soft knocking awoke me later, however. Groggily, I got up and slid the door open.

"Hinata-sama?" I whispered, taken aback. She was carrying a tray of food and pushed her way past me.

"N-Neji-niisan," she greeted, "P-please close the door. We don't want to w-wake anyone..."

"Of course not," I lied, glancing at the overcast sky before closing my door. "What time is it?"

"Very late," she giggled. "I'm not sure."

"That's fine," I assured her, "Please, have a seat."

"Th-thankyou," she murmured, handing the tray to me as she made herself comfortable on my bed. I looked at the food.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"It's your dinner, silly," she giggled. "H-Hiashi-sama will p-probably want you to train with h-him all of tomorrow, a-as well..."

"Mm, that's true," I agreed, sitting beside her and taking up my chopsticks. I had not realized how hungry I had been. "I'll need my strength."

"Y-yes..." She assumed a rueful expression.

"Hinata-sama?" I queried.

"O-oh!" she blushed. "S-sorry, I z-zoned out for a second..."

"I noticed. Is something the matter?"

"N-no!" she exclaimed, then twiddled her thumbs. "Well, k-kind of..."

"I raised an eyebrow, since my mouth was otherwise occupied.

"F-father once tried to teach me this technique a few years back. I... I was no good. A disgrace to the Hyuuga, as he said." Tears were threatening by the end of this. I put aside my tray in time to catch her as she buried her face in my shoulder.

"I-I'm such a failure, Neji-niisan!" she sobbed. I was at loss for what to do.

"Not even all Main Hyuuga get to learn the technique," I reminded her, "There's nothing to be ashamed of."

She managed a smile through her tears.

"You're so special, Neji-niisan," she whispered, "I w-wish I could be like you..."

There was little I could say to that which was comforting but not a lie.

-

The next day Hiashi had me releasing chakra from sections of my body; arms, then legs. Even my back and neck. It was tiring, and wasteful of my chakra, but by late afternoon I had enough control to release from small points on my arms and back, though not small enough to be useful for hitting chakra points. Hiashi-sama complained adamantly about that, calling me slow.

I didn't mind, because we both knew I was doing very well. Say so out loud would only jinx me.

Why either of us believed that is beyond my reasoning.

He gave me the rest of the day off, though there were only two or so hours before sundown. I chose to spend them with my teammates, Tenten and Lee. Tenten picked the restaurant and Lee picked the table. It didn't make much difference to me, as long as the food was edible and I wasn't paying (it was Lee's turn, that week). I told them about the new technique I was learning. They were both very impressed by the idea of it.

"But I wonder," Tenten said thoughtfully at one point, "How come you didn't think of it on your own? It seems kind of obvious, now that you mention it..."

She was right, and that made me a little angry at myself for not thinking of it on my own. I ended up excusing myself before the food arrived.

The third day of my training was the hardest yet. It took the full day just to hone release points on my arms and legs and back and neck down to the size necessary for hitting tenketsu. We were both sorely disappointed with the suddenly slump in my progress, but Hiashi-sama only frowned and said nothing. He didn't invite me to dinner, so I trudged back to my room to sleep. Hinata-sama brought me food later that night.

While the third day was difficult, it was the fourth that gave me hell.

-

First, Hiashi-sama wanted to spar, because that was the way we always began, plus he wanted to see me use the new version of the jyuuken I had learned. It was going well until he sprung the technique on me and I was, once again, flat on my back, this time in the dojo so there was no sun glaring in my eyes, though it was my right shoulder which was numb. My uncle stepped back as I struggled to rise, trying not to gasp for air _too _loudly. He folded his arms, hands slipping inside the sleeves as always.

"You will never get anywhere with this technique if you still release from only one point at a time, Neji," he said sternly. I gritted my teeth, swaying for a moment on my feet before steadying them.

"I apologize, Hiashi-sama," I ground out, "I will try harder."

"Don't apologize, come at me again!" he instructed, also falling into stance. I nodded and charged, but he sidestepped me and I suddenly found myself pinned to the wall, his leg shoved between mine. All the chakra points on the insides of my thighs had been hit. I bit back a groan.

"You only managed to hit one of my tenketsu," he commented, not relaxing the arm which was pressing into my shoulders, "As usual. What is with you, you lazy boy, can't you hit more than one at a time? That's the entire point of this technique!"

As if to emphasize his point, he hit any tenketsu his arm was pressed against all at once before releasing me. I stumbled and leaned against the wall to prevent my legs from crumpling beneath me.

"It is... difficult to... do," I said between pants, reaching down to release my closed points. He waited while I worked.

"I don't care if it's difficult," he told me, "You're Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Branch Hyuuga, are you not? Can't you handle a new technique?"

"Not even all Main Hyuuga are taught it," I reminded him with a snarl, straightening and testing out my legs. He scoffed.

"You're a disappointment, just like Hinata."

I didn't say anything, focusing on reopening the points on my chest that had been hit.

"Sit down," he ordered. I glanced at him, then sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. The shades had been drawn, so it was dim inside the building. I heard Hiashi sit more than I saw him do so (I don't _always _keep my byakugan activated, and without it, my sight is just like anyone else's).

"Hiashi-sama?" I asked after a pregnant silence had filled the room for longer than I felt comfortable with.

"Let me see you release chakra from multiple points on your arm," he instructed. I swallowed dryly and raised my arm to eye level, focused my chakra, and released. I was crestfallen when instead of releasing from specific points that could only have been seen by the byakugan we both had activated by then, chakra exploded from everywhere on my arm.

"Damnit," I heard myself curse, then clapped my other hand- the one not connected to the arm I was releasing chakra from- over my mouth, avoiding Hiashi's eyes. He didn't comment on my language.

"Try again," he instructed patiently. I frowned and tried again, redoubling my efforts. I could not be a failure like Hinata-sama before me.

It was growing late, and I still could not release chakra from more than one point on my arm. I was exhausted from my efforts, and Hiashi was clearly at the end of his patience. Finally, he stood and paced briskly.

"Again!" he shouted, and I tried again. "Again!"

"Hiashi-sama," I croaked, then cleared my throat. "Please, maybe we should call it a night-"

"What, you're going to give up?" he exclaimed, "Just like that, when something is too hard for the genius boy and he can't get it right the first time, he doesn't want to bother with it?"

"No, that's not it-" I began.

"Is it too much for you?" he continued, coming closer to me, until I couldn't stop myself from leaning away. "You're a shame! You don't deserve to be Snake!"

"Wh-what?" I asked, "What does Snake have to do with this?"

"Do you know who Snake was?" he asked me, "Do you?"

"No, of course I don't!"

"Hyuuga. Only Hyuuga can be Snake, because no-one else can see with that mask on! Only Hyuuga!"

"I.. see," I mumbled, scooting a little farther away. He followed me, right up to the wall. I held myself in check when he slammed his hand against the wall, trapping me.

"My grandfather was the first Snake," he said a bit more calmly. Almost too calmly, and my discomfort with the situation increased. "My father was the second Snake, your grandfather, Neji. And guess who was the third snake?"

I wanted to suggest that it had been him, but then I recalled that the last snake had died sixteen years ago. Besides that, Hiashi-sama had never once been admitted into ANBU.

"Do you get it?" he hissed, eyes narrowed. I shook my head.

"No," I whispered. He leaned down until his hair brushed my arm where the sleeve of my robe had been rolled up, until his cheek brushed mine, and his lips ghosted across my ear as he spoke. I shivered.

"Hyuuga Hizashi was the last Snake."

Tears sprung to my eyes. That damned mask I was so proud of had belonged to my father, and I had talked about the deceased last snake as though he had been insignificant! I threw myself to the floor, praying to my father that I had not angered him with my disrespect. Hiashi smirked as I pressed my forehead to the wooden planks and cried.

"You get it now?" he sneered, grasping my hair and jerking me up to face him. I gave a soft cry of surprise mingled with pain at the action, tears leaking down my face. "Do you get it?"

"Y-yes!" I said, just wanting him to stop.

"Do you know who thought of this technique?" he continued.

"You?" I suggested, hoping to calm him before he was too far gone. It was probably too late, actually, he was, more likely than not, already too far gone by that point.

"Ha! You insolent little," he laughed, "Hizashi, my dear brother, thought of it. And you, his son, you can't even learn it. What a disgrace."

He released my hair and I fell forward, grabbing his knees to break my fall.

I was a disgrace to my father. I couldn't even learn his own technique!

Hiashi seemed to sense my despair, because he knelt and stroked my hair gently, an action which sent a thrill of fear down my spine.

"Neji-kun," he said, voice as smooth as silk, grasping my chin and making me look up at him. "You do look just like your father."

He must have seen the fear and confusion in my eyes, because he smiled softly as he lowered me 'till I was on my back on the floor, a position I seemed to end up in often during those days. His hair fell over his shoulder, veiling one side of us, and I could feel his breath across my cheek as he lowered himself onto me.

"H-Hiashi-sama?" I breathed, eyes wide. He was running his lips over my cheek, hands working to undo my robes. I could feel his arousal against my leg. I don't think I'd ever been as scared in my entire life as I had been at that moment.

"Just like him," he whispered huskily, kissing my jaw.

"Hiashi-sa-" I was cut off by his lips covering mine. It was a greedy kiss, like he wanted to steal everything from me. It was a cruel kiss, like he was punishing me for being Hizashi's son and not being able to learn the technique. It was a longing kiss, like he wished I weren't me. Like he wished _I_ were Hizashi. It was anything but chaste.

And I realized then how much Hiashi had loved my father, and I broke out in fresh tears, because the idea of _him _with my father, doing things... similar to this... I couldn't handle it. Incest is common within old and venerable clans such as the Hyuuga, to keep the blood pure, but... that was too much! The taste of salty tears seemed to bring him back into enough of his senses to pull away, adjusting his slightly off-kilter robe before leaving me spread out on the floor, crying, yukata mostly off.

It was nearly morning when Hinata-sama found me and helped me to my room.

-

The next day, the last day before my mission, Hiashi-sama did not train with me. I was glad, because I didn't think I could remain composed around him, and I was saddened, because it was like a slap in the face, reminding me that I was a failure, not good enough to master the technique created by my own father, and that I was not good enough to even be my uncle's student. I spent the day training on my own, though it was only half-heartedly and I did not get far with anything.

Hinata-sama came by to check on me periodically, reminding me when I needed to eat and bringing me food, sitting with me while I ate. She didn't mention what she knew of what had transpired between Hiashi-sama and myself, but I had my suspicions that she knew a great deal, though hopefully not so far as why my yukata had been partially removed.

Lee and Tenten and even Gai sensei and Naruto stopped by to wish me luck on my mission tomorrow, grinning and laughing and slapping me on the back. Naruto and Lee even hugged me, which Tenten gave me a strange look that I had been caught off-guard, because normally I would not have allowed it. I gave her a weak shrug and pushed my friends away.

"I'll be fine," I told them, because I knew I would be, "Besides, I'm not going alone. I'll have Rat with me."

Tenten huffed. "I sure wish I knew who Rat was," she said, "It would make me feel much more comfortable."

I shrugged. "All I know is that he's new, as well. We'll be fine, like I said. Don't worry."

Eventually, they left, and I went to sleep, trying to focus on the day ahead of me, not the one behind me.

-

The mission went by in a blur. There was traveling, so I remember trees whizzing by, and there was fighting, so I remember blood in the air and on my clothes, drying in my hair. There was no yelling or shouting, because it was an assassination and a theft. It was awful, much worse than any mission I had seen in the jounin ranks. Morally incorrect in every way.

But then, a lot of things that go on in Konoha are morally incorrect in every way.

I never remembered much from that first mission. It was actually one of the less unforgivable things I've done in ANBU- just the assassination of a good and fair politician and the theft of some important documents and artifacts. Even moments afterward, sitting with Rat on the roof of a dilapidated cottage, the details of what I had just done were slipping away. He produced a pack of cigarettes and began to idly puff away.

"Shikamaru," I said, recalling that Rat had used the kage mane no jutsu during the mission, before that fact slipped away.

"Nn," he grunted, shifting on the roof. He sighed and pulled off his mask. "Took you long enough, Neji. This thing's really starting to get on my nerves."

I nodded. "I was a bit preoccupied with the mission before to say anything."

He laughed, lying back. "Yeah, some mission, huh? I can't believe I did all that."

I shrugged. "I'd rather do it again a million times over than go back home."

He looked at me like a man who is worried about the sanity of the one sitting next to them would, and I chuckled, despite myself. Surely he was wondering just went on in the Hyuuga that would lead me to say such a thing, and he probably had a few theories, some of them not too far off. I thought of my mask, and of my father, and of my uncle, and I shivered in the summer air.

Shikamaru snuffed out his cigarette and stood.

-

I did everything I could to forestall going home. I waited in the ANBU office while Shikamaru got his tattoo- we both kept our masks on, because even within ANBU, one doesn't share his identity freely- then sat and received my own. They wrapped white bandages around it when they had finished and walked out the door. Shikamaru and I changed back into civilian clothes in silence, then left and went our ways. The mark stung, but I went around Konoha, seeking out Tenten and Lee and Naruto to show them my tattoo. They invited me to celebrate with them and Shikamaru's friends, and I was sorely tempted to go, but ended up declining.

It was dark out by the time I wandered my way back home. Hanabi-sama greeted me.

"Hinata's out on a mission," she informed me tersely, "She asked me to greet you when you came home. Give you her congratulations."

"Thankyou, Hanabi-sama," I forced myself to say. She glared then stalked away. I headed to my room. Unfortunately, I ran into Hiashi before I reached my destination. We regarded each other for a long time.

"Hiashi-sama," I bowed.

"I take it your mission was successful," he stated. I nodded. "I wish to see the tattoo."

He was leading me back to his room, and I hesitated before following, rolling up my sleeve in the process.

"Here," I said, unwrapping the bandages for the umpteenth time that day. He sat on his bed, and I stood before him. The skin around the insignia was still raw and stung in the open air. He grasped my arm and it took everything I had not to jerk it away. He pulled me closer to get a better look.

"They've changed it a bit since your father was in ANBU," he murmured. I tried to pull my arm away but he was not letting go. I felt the old fear creeping up again. _I'd rather do it a million times over than go back home_.

"Has it?" I asked, determined not to let the conversation dry up, because I knew where that would lead. I prayed Hanabi-sama or someone would knock on the door.

"Yes, it used to be..." he turned my palm up and traced the old symbol on it. I shuddered and curled my hand into a fist when he was finished. He still had not let go of my arm.

"Does it bother you?" he asked slowly, "To know about your father?"

I felt a snarl rising to my lips, but bit it back.

"Does it bother you?" he repeated, pulling me forward until my shins hit the bed. He finally let go of my arm and I began to pull away, but he grasped my waist and held me in place. His forehead was pressed against my chest.

"Does it?"

"No," I lied, because there was nothing else I could say that would not incite his anger, which was not something I wanted, being the compromising position I was. He let out a long breath, and his hands began roaming, finding the ties in my yukata and undoing them, one at a time.

Why I didn't protest is something I still wonder about, to this day.

-

Hiashi-sama continued teaching me the technique, and I almost have it mastered, now. I eventually came to expect that, on days when he locked the door to the dojo and closed the windows, that I would end up on my back beneath him by the end of the lesson. At first I dreaded those days, but then I grew accustomed to them, and finally, as I said, to expect them. The worst thing about it all, to me, was that he often called me Hizashi instead of Neji.

Because of that first night, when my tattoo was still fresh and should have been bandaged, it was smudged. Tenten asked about it once, but after my initial dismissal of the question, she never brought it up again. I think Rat- Shikamaru- thinks that I get beaten, though I've dropped covert hints that such is not the case. We get paired often, though he usually ends up with either Ox or Tiger- Ox being a play on the story of the order of the zodiac, Tiger being a play on the "cat and mouse" saying. Rat and Dragon are the only two I ever find myself paired with. Otherwise, I go solo.

Sometimes I wonder about the things I do- the way I turn a cold shoulder, the way I still cannot apologize. I wonder about the things I do in ANBU, the awful, unforgivable things I do that normal jounin couldn't handle. I wonder about the things I do in the dojo and in Hiashi's room, because that, in its self, is completely unforgivable. Is worse than what I do in ANBU. Because Hiashi is my teacher, is my uncle. He is the man that I hated for nearly half of my life, and still am not particularly fond of.

I wonder why I let him have me, and why I sometimes look forward to it, and it just doesn't make sense. So I wake up, sometimes, in the morning and look out the window as the sun rises, rubbing my arm where the still-foreign tattoo is, the one that Hiashi often traces at night while we fall asleep, knowing that my snake mask is discarded on the floor somewhere and should be picked up before it gets stepped on.

And I wonder about the things that I do.

* * *

Oh my god, I feel like Neji was so out of character, it's not even funny. But that might just be me. Feel free to tell me if he is (sorry, but I don't fully agree with Niveaus that I'm an authority on Neji's personality. This fic makes it apparent that even I screw him up royally). That aside...

Why did I pick Snake and Rat for Neji and Shikamaru? Well, firstly, I wanted to pick zodiac that I hadn't ever seen used in a fic before. I'd never seen anyone use Snake or Rat. People normally make Neji the Tiger for grace. I made him the Snake for cunning, as well as the whole explanation with the slitted eyes and visibility issues.

Why Rat for Shikamaru? Because Tsunade felt like spiting him.

No, really. As funny as that is, it's not the only reason. Remember that the rat in the story of the order of the zodiac tricked the Ox into carrying it on its back. The Rat is very intelligent, hence why Shikamaru would be the rat. He is also very intelligent (genius, actually, but we won't go there...). Thus I rationalize my decision in their masks.

Also notice how I made the masks ceramic... in many stories they're porcelain, but that just seems unrealistic to me. What the heck good would they do if they were porcelain? That's just too fancy for the battle field, ANBU or not. Ceramic is stronger and less likely to break and therefore a much better choice. But that's just my opinion.

Once again... sorry about the pairing. I have no clue where the idea for it came from, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I nearly wretched when I thought of Neji and Gai together. Though I think Tenten and Gai could be a very amusing crack!pairing crack!fic, don't you? And I could throw in a jealous Lee, and that would be like the cherry on top.

Oh, and this also comes about because I'm still too much of a wimp to write Kurenai x Hinata, and I couldn't think of a good plot for that one, anyways.

Shutting up now... I gotto run before the Hyuuga come after me to kill me for what I've done with them... bye bye! Thanks for reading.


	3. ANBU's a little different : KakaNeji

**Teachers and their Students**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Um, so, someone requested this after reading my Hiashi x Neji chapter, so here I am, writing it? It's more like I'm using it as a semi-valid excuse to put off the Kurenai x Hinata chapter even longer...

Either way, I humbly present to you my Kakashi x Neji chapter.

**Summary:** Things in ANBU work a little differently, as Kakashi will soon teach Neji.

**Warnings:** Yaoi! Angst, but who cares about that? Violence and mild to moderate language. Traumatic situations.

* * *

_ANBU's A Little Different_

-

Admittedly, Neji was a little nervous. His arms were folded, his ever-present glare hidden behind his snake mask, and aside from shifting his weight a bit more often than necessary, he seemed perfectly normal. Occasionally, he pulled at a random part of his ANBU uniform, uneasy in the form-fitting material and the vest (which he, self-consciously, thought made him look kind of fat).

He had heard things about the Copy Nin, Kakashi. Mostly from Gai. Unimportant stuff, about their rivalry that he was fairly sure Kakashi didn't particularly care about. Not _really_, anyway. The man seemed to humor Gai often enough.

He had also heard the usual rumors about Kakashi- how the man took the nastiest missions, so other ANBU (who were all gutsy, but maybe not as gutsy as Kakashi) wouldn't have to. How Kakashi's Sharingan had been taken from his dieing friend. That the man wasn't entirely sane.

Neji shifted his weight again, pushing the rumors to the back of his mind. Hatake Kakashi was going to be his partner on his first ever ANBU mission; a teacher, if you will. Questioning the sanity of someone he was going to be spending the next five days with- and possibly longer- wasn't a good idea. He needed to at least be confident in his partner, if not to trust him.

There was a loose string dangling from the cuff of his sleeve, and he picked at it absently. Half of the stitches unraveled. Great. He wasn't even out of Konoha, and something was out of place. He pulled out a kunai to slice it off.

"Ahem." Neji looked up, saw Kakashi with his head cocked and a semi concerned look on his face at seeing him with a kunai poised so close to his wrist. He lowered the kunai, holding up the string.

"A loose seam," he explained, pocketing the weapon.

"Ah," Kakashi's eye crinkled and they watched as Neji let go and the black thread drifted to the ground.

Neji shifted his weight again, trying not to be obvious as he gave Kakashi a thorough _look_, gauging how insane he appeared as compared to the stories, then felt like an idiot for trying not to be obvious, since he was wearing his mask, and Kakashi _wasn't_ the one who could see through walls. A moment later, when he'd decided Kakashi looked rather sane, a wave of guilt for doubting the fact washed over him and he shook his head to clear it.

Kakashi looked at Neji's masked face, shrugged and produced his own.

"I guess you'll want to go then?" he asked nonchalantly, snapping it into place. Gratefully, Neji unfolded his arms.

"Yes," he answered, "Let's."

Kakashi took off first, and Neji followed.

-

It was raining when Neji stepped into a dimly lit bar, followed closely by Kakashi. They were both sopping wet because they had stopped just outside the small village to change into civilian getup. Anything that marked them as either Ninja or from Konoha was tucked away in their packs. Faded red-orange lanterns swung silently in the downpour as the two nin found their seats.

"So," Neji stated after Kakashi had ordered a drink, ordering nothing for himself, "What exactly is our mission?"

Kakashi's one visible eye slid over to rest on Neji's profile, dripping wet and bent over the counter, frowning. He slid his drink across the bar to Neji.

"Drink up," he instructed, and Neji looked at him.

"I think it would be best if I didn't drink," he said slowly, eying the mug.

"And I'm Leader, so when I say 'drink up', you drink up," Kakashi answered pleasantly, visible eye crinkling into something reminiscent of a smile. Neji grimaced and took a long swig from the glass.

"Power abuser," he muttered, letting the glass fall with a thud. Kakashi just continued to smile at him, nodding gaily until the Hyuuga polished off the glass.

"Two more!" the copy nin ordered, and two more drinks were brought over. Neji groaned, but began sipping at his new drink, licking the flavor off his lips as he went. Kakashi turned his cup on the counter.

"Well?" Neji prompted, still within his senses. Kakashi shrugged, staring at the rows of drinks lining the back wall of the bar.

"It's simple, really," he began, and Neji took a slightly larger-than-necessary sip. "Simple" didn't bode well.

"And?" he prompted again, becoming impatient with Kakashi, who ordered him another drink.

"We've been sent to... execute... a certain being that is causing problems for their village," the elder explained carefully. Neji blinked, drinking more. "Your Jyuuken can assist in a swift and painless death for said person."

"Ah," Neji nodded, drinking more. "If it's something so simple then why has it been assigned to ANBU?"

Kakashi's head tilted to one side. "There are certain... details that non ANBU members might not be able to handle."

Neji hummed. "Such as?"

Kakashi looked at him, looked at the empty cup in his hands, then at the two empty cups set to his side. He could see the effects of the alcohol settling in already as Neji's eyes drooped and he swayed ever so slightly on his stool.

"First, another drink," Kakashi proposed, scooting his towards the Hyuuga. Neji took it and began absently sipping.

"That bad, huh?" he mumbled, and Kakashi's eye crinkled.

"Among what non ANBU might not be able to handle are the fact that both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru could be involved with said being and who is being executed," the copy nin explained.

"Mm," Neji murmured around the rim of his fifth cup- he had no idea where it had come from, but he wasn't complaining, because the alcohol wasn't all that bad. "Who're we executing, Kakashi-sensei?"

The eye crinkled into an arc, and a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"You look tired, Hyuuga-san," Kakashi said, helping him up, "You should go to bed."

"I know what you're up to," Neji slurred, letting Kakashi lead him away, "You don't want me to remember well enough tomorrow to ask more questions. What could be so bad about this?"

"You're drunk, Hyuuga-san," Kakashi stated merrily, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Hm," Neji hummed, "Whatever you say, Kakashi-sensei."

"Whatever I say," Kakashi smiled.

-

The next day Neji remembered the majority of the conversation at the bar, but kept that to himself. There was a mild headache, and things were a bit fuzzy, thanks to the alcohol, but Kakashi had taken him for more of a lightweight than he was. Their travel was hampered by his condition and he kept his questions and reservations concerning the mission to himself.

They carefully avoided any other towns as they approached their destination in Stone Country, setting up camp the second and third nights. On the afternoon of the fourth day, Kakashi ordered Neji to begin setting up camp while he went into town- the town where there target was held, Neji assumed. He watched silently as Kakashi changed into the ANBU garb while he started a fire.

"Well, I'll be back around sundown with instructions," Kakashi's eye arced, "You'll be fine?"

Neji scoffed. "Of course I will be."

"Hm," Kakashi hummed, turned on his heel, and traipsed away.

There were quite a few hours before sundown. It didn't take long for Neji to set up their sleeping bags (ANBU doesn't deal with tents, because, more often than not, ANBU has to make a quick departure, and ANBU can't afford to spend time with tents or to leave such things behind) or for him to have a nice fire going and the small portion of regular food they had purchased back at the first town roasting (there were no pots to boil it in, as those would have been cumbersome to carry).

Satisfied with the state of the camp, he changed into his ANBU uniform and settled against a tree to wait, wondering just what the details were that had had Kakashi trying to get him drunk. He couldn't think of anything that could possibly be all that terrible. Just an execution, and possibly a confrontation with Akatsuki or The Sound.

Kakashi arrived just past sundown when the stars were twinkling down on their campsite. Neither of them said anything as he sat cross-legged in front of the fire and took his portion of the food. Neji scooted over and watched him.

"Eat," Kakashi instructed. Neji, a little frightened by his sudden somber, all-business, let's-be-serious mood, quickly grabbed something and began nibbling at it.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he whispered, and Kakashi sighed.

"I have separate orders to take care of in his town, so I won't be going with you to assist in the... execution," the copy nin explained, producing a map and spreading it out on the ground for the Hyuuga to see. He pointed to a splotchy mark that might have been an "X" at some point and said, "That is where the mark is. One of the villagers will escort you, but only to the corner of the block. There are seals on the outside of the door that you will have to bypass-"

"Seals?" Neji parroted, "Is whoever is held there that dangerous?"

Kakashi shook his head and Neji frowned, confused.

"You'll see when you get there," he told him, "The villagers are just afraid because the one being held is a jinchuuriki."

Neji pursed his lips, but said nothing. It was a mission, and his personal opinions were best kept to himself. At least he knew now why Akatsuki and The Sound were involved.

"Anyways," Kakashi continued in a monotone, business voice, "It doesn't matter where I'll be, but we'll rendezvous back here-" he pointed to another, slightly off-colored, splotchy area that might have once been a circle, "-Got that?"

"Roger," Neji nodded, then blushed when he realized how immature that must have sounded (seeing as it was a habit acquired from Lee and Gai). If Kakashi thought anything of it, he didn't say, only rolled the map up.

"Eat," he repeated, "Then we leave."

Neji complied.

-

The town was eerily silent when Neji approached the main gates. Kakashi had separated from him before reaching the town- Neji assumed that was because his part of the mission was strictly Konoha business and not meant for the villagers to know- so he approached the two sentry at the entrance alone. They were burly village men. He nodded and they glanced away uneasily.

One of them gave a jerky signal that Neji took to mean "Follow me". They led him through the town that he already had memorized from seeing the map. Just as Kakashi had foretold, they both halted at the corner of one block, a particularly deserted appearing block, and Neji nodded to them again before continuing alone, once more.

This area of town, abandoned as it appeared, seemed louder than any other occupied area. Neji could hear the sound of paper seals flapping in the wind. A sharp mewl from a starving cat in a deserted alley followed by the sound of an empty trashcan overturning. Only by the exacting use of his shinobi skills was Neji able to keep his singing nerves from getting the best of him.

The location of the mark was not difficult to find, even if Neji hadn't had the map of the town with its splotchy marks memorized. The building was covered in seals, some old and weather-worn to the point where they were useless, some newer. Some of them Neji didn't even recognize, but thankfully, those were the older ones whose characters had been washed away with rain.

Somewhere a loose door creaked on its hinges, and Neji set to work disabling the randomly placed tags methodically and efficiently. In moments, they were all either blank- deactivated- or lying in pieces at his feet. The weathered wood of the door stood bare before him, gnarled and uncared for. Hesitantly, Neji opened it, slipping in and shutting it silently behind him.

"Hideki-nii-san?"

Neji's eyes snapped to the owner of the small, frail voice. His breath caught in his throat and he fell back against the door to support himself. The small girl with large, watery eyes tottered towards him, clutching the long dead body of a baby (Neji could only assume it had once been her living, breathing sibling). She was pale and gaunt, dressed only in a stain-smeared, tattered shirt that didn't even cover her starvation-distended stomach, much less anything else below that.

Surely this was not the mark. She was only a helpless child!

"Hideki-nii-san?" she repeated, voice wobbling. She stumbled and tripped, falling with her face in the floor, pale feet in the air. Neji noticed that she had deformed ankles, rendering her incapable of running. They must have been broken repeatedly when she was an infant.

"Hideki-nii-san," she cried, "Wh-wha's going on?"

"I'm..." Neji's words dried up as he watched her struggling to get up again. He wanted to help her, but she was the mark, and he was supposed to kill her. This helpless little child with her dead sibling cradled in her arms and her distended stomach and purposefully-deformed ankles that, admittedly, made Neji feel extremely queasy.

The girl finally got to her feet, only to waver and flop onto her side this time, and Neji felt his stomach heave as the girl flailed and the dead infant skidded across the floor to halt a few inches from his toes.

"Hideki-nii-san!" she wailed, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. Neji looked away.

I can do this, he reminded himself, I've killed before. It's just a mission. Don't think about it, don't think about-

Somehow she had writhed her way over to him and was clinging to the material of his pant's leg. Neji jerked away reflexively and the girl slid with him, breaking out in new tears. The sound of her crying twisted in Neji's ears until his mind swum in the sound and he pressed his hands to his ears.

"Sh-shut up!" he shouted, "Shut up, stop crying! Damnit!"

"_Hideki-nii-_" Of its own accord, his hand lashed out, striking a tenketsu at the base of her neck.

Neji stared wide-eyed at the girl now limp on the floor. Her hand disentangled from his pants and fell to floor in what seemed to be slow-motion. The dull thud when it hit the wood rang through the room, and then it was silent. Absolutely, utterly, _silent_. And Neji was suddenly terrified as he strained his ears for a sound, for anything.

I just- I just killed a child! A helpless child who wasn't hurting anyone, whose only fault was being a jinchuuriki! I'm, I'm-

I've killed before, just calm down. Go find Kakashi at the rendezvous point, get back to Konoha, drink it away, and never think about it again. Hell, maybe even quit ANBU!

Neji stumbled towards the door. When had he gotten so far from it? He tripped on the dead baby still lying on the floor and let out a yelp, shoving himself out the door without opening it. The old, dry-rotted wood splintered easily.

"Whoa, easy, Neji!" Kakashi caught him.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Neji gasped, looking up to see his sensei, "How- why- huh?"

Kakashi's expression was completely serious. "You were late, so I came to check on you. I assume you have completed your segment of the mission?"

Neji swallowed the bile his stomach spat up.

"Yeah," he croaked, getting out of Kakashi's arms and making his way toward the front gate. Kakashi made no comment that that was not the agreed route of departure and followed, melting into the shadows as often as he could because, technically, he wasn't supposed to be there.

-

They made it to camp without incident, and Neji collapsed onto his sleeping bag, not even bothering to pull the covers over himself or to change out of his uniform. Kakashi stood over him, finally reaching down and plucking the mask away. The Hyuuga's face was a carefully controlled mask of its own- unaffected, empty, detached.

He sighed and set the mask down next to Neji's head.

"Kakashi-sensei..." Neji whispered and Kakashi halted.

"Yes, Neji?"

"All that... all that- just because she was a jinchuuriki?"

Kakashi hesitated, choosing his words carefully. Neji beat him to it.

"The details..." he muttered, "She was just a kid. Did you know that? Couldn't've been older than four, _maybe_ five. Starved and... they did something to her ankles so she couldn't run, and-"

Neji stopped when a soft hand squeezed his shoulder, urging him to _look_ at his mentor. He did, brows furrowed, lips pursed.

"That's why they give missions like this to ANBU, Neji," the Hatake explained. "Details, like those. This isn't the worst of the missions we receive as ANBU."

Neji just stared at him blankly.

"Neji?" Kakashi asked, voice slightly tainted with worry.

"Understood," Neji mumbled. Kakashi sighed.

"Try to forget about it," Kakashi said, "Think about Konoha. Two days and we'll be back."

Neji frowned.

"Naruto-kun is very lucky. I never realized it, but after what happened to Gaara and then... this... jinchuuriki..."

Kakashi nodded, still massaging Neji's shoulder comfortingly.

"Just try not to think about it-"

"With all respect, Kakashi-sensei, that's hard to do."

Kakashi looked at him pensively, and Neji tried to meet his gaze, but ended up staring just past his ear. He tried to ignore it when Kakashi's hand shifted from his shoulder to his vest, deftly undoing the clasps as though he did this kind of thing often.

"I can help you with that," he whispered. Neji looked at him, slight confusion and disdain in his eyes.

"That's not allowed on missions-" he began, but Kakashi cut him off, pressing his still masked mouth to Neji's.

"Shh," he said, "Don't think about it."

Neji made a soft sound of disapproval, but relaxed as Kakashi continued to undo his vest, giving in to the distraction. It came off easily and surprisingly soft hands grazed his stomach. His muscles tensed at the foreign sensation as they traveled up his torso, taking the shirt with them. Moments later Kakashi had him out of it as well and was already kissing a trail down his chest, stopping at a dark spot to suck and lick.

The material of Kakashi's mask was rough against his nipples, but Neji didn't care because it still sent mind-numbing jolts of pleasure through him. Unconsciously, his fists gripped the blankets under him as Kakashi's hands undid the clasp on his pants, pulling them down to his knees. Neji hissed at the cold air on his erection.

Kakashi made to remove his mask and Neji looked away. He cried out when warm, moist lips were placed on his arousal, a tongue flicking out to lick the tip.

"W-wait," he panted, "What about you?"

"I always do seme, and we can't have you too sore tomorrow to run," Kakashi murmured against his cock, and Neji gritted his teeth against the groan that wanted to come out from the feeling of the silver haired man talking against his member, too caught up to take any offense in what Kakashi had said. Kakashi took the head in his mouth, running his tongue over the slit and sucking gently. Neji swallowed another moan, and Kakashi slowly took him the rest of the way into his mouth until his nose was buried in the dark curls at the base of Neji's groin. He hummed then swallowed carefully.

"Ah!" Neji exclaimed, bucking his hips. Kakashi quickly moved to hold Neji's hips still as he worked on the Hyuuga's cock, sucking and running his tongue over the vein. His head bobbed up and down in a steadily increasing pace as Neji gasped, "Faster, please!" and Kakashi complied.

The copy nin's fingers feathered up his torso to play with his nipples some more. Neji couldn't hold back a soft cry, arching his back into the touches, simultaneously changing the angle of his cock in the Hatake's mouth, deeper and warmer. Kakashi swallowed again, the walls of his throat constricting around Neji's member.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei!" he cried out, releasing into the older man's mouth. Kakashi pulled away as soon as he was finished, pulling the mask back up so quickly that Neji could only assume he had swallowed the seed.

"Kakashi-sensei," he repeated tiredly.

"Shh," Kakashi reminded him, "Sleep. We'll start heading back to Konoha first thing tomorrow morning."

Neji could only nod and comply.

-

They traveled quickly and by late morning the second day were a half of a kilometer past the first town they had stopped at. It was then that Neji realized something was off. Activating his Byakugan, he grimaced and reported to Kakashi: "We're being followed."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "Can you tell who it is?" he asked. Neji nodded, focusing in on the targets.

"Two, and it looks like they're Akatsuki. Wait, I recognize one. Gai-sensei fought him that time when we were retrieving Gaara."

Beneath the mask, Kakashi frowned deeply. "I remember him too, from a separate incident before that. His partner is probably Uchiha Itachi-"

"What?" Neji spat, "You're kidding! Is there any way to avoid a battle with them?"

"Depends. How close are they?"

Neji measured it up. "About three hundred meters, and closing."

"There's a chance we could outrun them, but it's slim. I say we set up a trap and prepare to fight."

"But-"

"Hyuuga-san, we're ANBU. Please have more confidence."

Neji shut his mouth and stopped one branch after Kakashi. The Copy Nin gave the hand signals for one of the numerous traps designed specifically for ANBU and Neji produced his portion of the materials. Quickly, the trap was set and they hid in the trees to wait.

The two Akatsuki approached.

"Haha, pathetic," the blue one laughed, "Such an obvious trap."

"Be quiet, Kisame," the other ordered, "They're still here."

"Right, right," Kisame grumbled, looking around. Neji stiffened when the man's beady eyes stopped on his hiding place. He had been sure he was fully concealed-

Itachi held two fingers before his mouth, inhaled, then exhaled a sphere of flames. It came barreling towards both ANBU members, and they shot out of the canopy, landing side-by-side a few branches away from their opponents.

"How useful is the Byakugan against the Sharingan?" Kakashi asked stiffly.

"I don't know," Neji admitted, sizing up Kisame, "I never got a chance to spar with Sasuke. It doesn't help us with staying out of genjutsu, if that's what you wanted to know."

Kakashi nodded. "I'll handle the Uchiha. Can you deal with the other?"

Neji glanced over Kisame once more, eyeing his oversized sword. He wet his lips. "Yes, I think so."

"Good," Kakashi smiled, raising his hitai-ate so it wasn't covering his Sharingan eye, "Because I'm trusting you not to die. That would look bad on my record."

Neji scoffed, and shot forward to engage his opponent, activating his Byakugan as he went.

"Damnit," he muttered when he saw that Kisame had abnormally large chakra reserves, coupled with the fact that his tenketsu were arranged in odd places. He couldn't just hit them out of reflex, now, because they weren't where he expected them.

The sword was whipped out faster than Neji had anticipated, and his shoulder was grazed before he could dodge. He winced, but started a kaiten. Kisame leapt backwards away from the whirlwind. Somewhere, Neji could hear the sound of birds and knew it was Kakashi's chidori. He didn't dwell on it long, however, because Kisame was charging again.

Neji could dodge all he wanted, but he couldn't get close enough to Kisame to do any damage, and Kisame undoubtedly had a higher stamina than him. He had maybe another half hour before he was too tired to dodge effectively. There had to be a way around that sword-

Kakashi screamed and Neji spun to see what was wrong. To his relief, the Kakashi who had screamed was only a clone, and disappeared in a puff of white smoke just as Samehada collided with his back. Neji couldn't hold back a cry of pain as he fell, just barely catching the branch with his hands, infused with a touch of chakra.

Damnit, he _really_ needed to get rid of that sword.

Neji flipped himself back onto the limb just in time to catch Kisame's maniacal grin and roll away from the downward arc of his weapon. Neji watched in slight horror as Kisame wrenched it back out of the wood, leaving a large section smashed in. He didn't have long to gape before he was back to dodging, even more unsteady on his feet with his new injury.

Deciding to ignore Kisame for the moment, he focused all his attention on the sword, Samehada, trying to find a weak point and to think of a way to destroy it. _There!_ A slight crack near the handle where the sword's chakra-absorbing abilities weren't present.

"Why won't you just stay still!?" Kisame roared, slicing at Neji with renewed vigor. Neji just barely ducked. "You're like an annoying little fish for me to catch!"

The sword came back so fast there was no way Neji could have avoided it. He fell into his divination stance as quickly as possibly and activated the sixty four strikes. Just as the sword was colliding with his shoulder, he began striking the weak point in the sword each time. Kisame roared something along the lines of, "Die!", but he wasn't listening.

"Sixty-four strikes!" Neji yelled, aiming the last barrage of attacks at the widening split in the weapon. It shattered with the second to last strike- the last one struck out on empty air- and hundreds of pieces rained down on the forest floor below.

Neji, panting and drenched in sweat, returned to the divination stance, regarding Kisame, who looked back at him with a mangled expression of pure hatred. They remained such until Kisame suddenly howled.

"Samehada!" he wailed, dragging his hands over his gilled cheeks, "My Samehada! You killed it, you killed it!"

Neji leapt at the opportunity, twisting to activate the one-hundred-twenty-eight strikes, to leave room for him to miss chakra points, considering the strange arrangement of Kisame's pathways.

"Shit!" Kisame exclaimed when Neji suddenly came at him, hands raised. He jumped back, but it was useless. He was more than well-within Neji's divination. When the attack was completed, Neji leaped away, breathing heavily. He reached up to wipe the sweat from his brow.

His Byakugan flickered, the veins beginning to recede, and he redoubled his efforts to maintain it. To his dismay, he hadn't closed off all the key points in the man's system (because his hands naturally wanted to strike the places where chakra points _normally_ would have resided, but did not in Kisame). On top of that, Kisame's large reserves of chakra easily forced past the shut tenketsu. He tested out his arms, leering at Neji's crestfallen face.

"Kisame!" Itachi barked, and Kisame looked away, scowling.

"I was just having fun!" he complained, but when Itachi gave him a _look_, he sighed and followed his partner in retreat. He did take the time to twist and shout over his shoulder, "I'll get you for breaking Samehada!"

Neji slumped, and Kakashi caught him before he fell off the branch.

"Neji!" the elder called out, "Neji, are you alright?"

Neji shut his eyes, trying to tune out his sensei along with the pain radiating from his back and shoulder. Kakashi shook him, and he grunted.

"Neji, we still have to get back to Konoha- Neji!" Kakashi scowled and gathered Neji up into a rough kiss. Neji gasped, curling his hands into the coarse material of Kakashi's flak vest, a rather undignified yelp escaping as Kakashi's hand, attempting to support his back, dug into the wound there. Somehow, Kakashi's mask was down, and his tongue invaded Neji's mouth, causing him to gasp and shiver. There was blood in the kiss, and Neji realized Kakashi's lip had been split- probably in an effort to dispel a genjutsu.

Kakashi pulled away, letting go of Neji, who swayed slightly in a daze. "Back to Konoha?" he suggested. Neji nodded hollowly.

"Yes, let's."

-

Neji wouldn't let Kakashi carry him back to Konoha (it's not as though Kakashi had enough strength that it would have been any faster that way, anyways) so it took them until midnight to trudge back into the village. Kakashi made sure Neji went straight to the hospital- there had been quite a bit of blood loss from the injuries- before going home himself. Neji found that more than slightly hypocritical, not to mention dangerous to the copy nin's health, but said nothing.

Sakura hurriedly carted him up to the healing ward and went to work on his wounds. Sometime after the pain subsided, but the healing wasn't finished, he let himself fall asleep, enjoying the security of being back home, carefully edging around the memory of his first ANBU mission.

Kakashi visited him the next morning.

"I reported to Tsunade-sama for you," he smiled, "So you can just relax."

"Thankyou," Neji answered, gazing out the window. Kakashi shifted his weight.

"You look well," he said.

"Yes," Neji nodded, "Sakura-san did a good job. She _is_ Tsunade-sama's prodigy, after all."

Kakashi bobbed his head, eye still arced in a smile.

"Is there something else you wanted, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Well, just a few words," the Hatake admitted, shrugging, "I need to talk to you about ANBU."

Neji waited for him to continue. Kakashi sighed and shuffled a foot.

"ANBU isn't like being in the regular ranks," he began, eye flicking to look out the window then back to a wall, and finally lighting on Neji. "We do things that maybe others couldn't so that those others can continue believing in the 'Konoha Way'. Can you still believe it, after your mission?"

Neji's brow creased, his hands gripped the sheets. "It is difficult. She was just a... a _child_. Helpless, harmless, confused."

Kakashi nodded, understanding.

"ANBU's... a little bit _different_, Neji," he explained, shuffling his other foot, "The normal rules don't apply to us, except to complete the mission and keep Konoha's secrets, at all costs."

"Do all ANBU try to just forget what they do?" Neji asked, "Like I... we..." He didn't quite know how to phrase it. Kakashi sighed.

"Most of us, but not all," he admitted, "Some wallow in what they've done and they..."

_They go insane_. Neji knew the rest of that thought.

"I see," he intoned.

"Neji, if you decide to leave the ranks, it's best not to talk about what you did-"

"No, Kakashi-sensei, I don't think I'm going to leave ANBU," Neji cut him off with a tired shrug, fisting the sheets again. "I don't think I _could_, if you understand."

"I get it," Kakashi told him. He'd once tried to retire, but found himself back in the organization only months later. Silence settled.

"Ah, well, I suppose you've got some well-deserved rest to catch up on," Kakashi said pleasantly, eye crinkling. He waved a hand, simultaneously producing his Icha Icha book. "Ja ne," he said, and disappeared with a puff of smoke. Neji sighed and relaxed into the pillows tucked behind him.

-

True to his word, Neji never left ANBU. Most of the time he took missions with Kakashi- his preferred partner- especially the really nasty ones Kakashi took on short notice so others wouldn't have to. It took a while before Kakashi felt comfortable doing more than they had on their first mission together, but Neji convinced him it was only fair, and that he would be fine (if not, Kakashi could always just carry him).

Neither of them would have ever admitted it, but they shared a kind of relationship. Tsunade caught on and continually paired them, though sometimes they were in a cell of three or four and then the "distracting" would get very... interesting. Still, ANBU was ANBU, and members did what they could to stay sane.

As with most, if not all, ANBU members, Kakashi was KIA at a relatively young age. Depressed and angry, Neji took numerous solo missions for ANBU, dreading the day that the Hokage would dump a rookie ANBU on him to teach. But, as all things go, the day came, and he met his subordinate.

She was short and slender. Frail, almost. Her short purple hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore the dog mask, which had previously been Kakashi's. She had a companion dog, and he realized she was Inuzuka Hana's daughter. She growled at him, and he glared back.

"Well?" she said, impatient as all Inuzuka were, "Are we going yet?"

Neji fixed her with a look, folding his arms. "Let me tell you something," he said coldly, "ANBU's a little different."

* * *

So, I just realized that, according to Neji's personality, he _probably_ should have called Kakashi _Hatake_-sensei. But there's no way I'm going back to change all that, nuh-uh. I won't mention anything else I find OOC about him in this story, because you'll all disagree with me, as always...

Um, so it was more about ANBU and the mission than it was about Kakashi and Neji? I don't know, I'm lame? And I feel like the smut scene is reeeaaally, really, retarded. Like... egad, it's just... lame-ness!

If any of you have suggestions on how I can improve it, or anything that was incorrect or whatever else could have been off about it, please tell me! I want to improve my smut skills, so... yeah.

As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
